FEW SPIRITS tell a story of transformation quite like whisky in India. Once dismissed by connoisseurs abroad for producing “whisky” largely distilled from fermented molasses rather than malted grain, the country has rewritten its reputation over the past two decades. Today, India is not only the world’s largest whisky market by volume but also one of its most dynamic premium destinations, producing award-winning single malts that rival the best in the world. Few companies embody that journey better than John Distilleries, the maker of Paul John Single Malts.

After burning his hand in a biscuit business, when Paul P. John, chairman of John Distilleries, set out to establish a manufacturing business focussed on affordable, mass-market spirits in 1996, it was a homecoming of sorts: his father had already been a name in the alcobev trading circles in Coorg, Karnataka. That early understanding is perhaps what gave John the confidence to pursue a far more ambitious dream — creating an Indian single malt capable of competing with the world’s best.

But challenges were galore, says John. Fifteen years ago, the Indian whisky market was still driven by value rather than craftsmanship, where, as he puts it, consumers were largely looking for the maximum “kick per buck” rather than flavour, provenance or character. At a time when few believed Indian consumers would pay a premium for a home-grown single malt, the venture demanded enormous patience, conviction and capital. Yet, somewhat surprisingly, John says he never fully appreciated the scale of the risk he was taking. “Looking back, I now realise it was a huge risk. I didn’t understand the magnitude of it then,” he recalls.

The numbers are sobering. “You’re investing ₹40-50 crore every year, only to wait five or six years before the spirit reaches maturity. In India, that’s the sweet spot, even though our whisky matures much faster than in Europe because our angel’s share is 10-12%,” John explains. Add to it a few years of production before the bottle reaches the consumer.

“If I had done all this math beforehand, I probably wouldn’t have entered the business at all. But I’m glad I took the plunge,” he says with a laugh. But it is that leap of faith that would eventually rewrite India’s place on the global whisky map.

“It was a long shot. For the first few years, nobody had any clue as to whether we were doing the right thing or whether the processes were right; we were just learning on the go, and we were apprehensive of its outcome.”

There was no playbook for what his team was trying to build in India, leaving instinct to guide many of its early decisions. “We started by tasting other international single malt whiskies... and, by the fourth year, we realised the quality seemed to be going where we wanted it to, and it was reasonably good enough,” he says. That’s when, finally, there was conviction in the product. The apprehensions made way for ambitions and hopes.

The bold leap

And then it happened. The first Paul John Indian Single Malt Whisky hit the market in 2012, in London. John launched it in the international market before India. “I first took my single malt to Europe. In fact, for the first few years I’ve only exported it,” John says.

Only after the golden liquid from his distilleries began receiving international appreciation did he think it was the right time for the India launch. It first hit the Goa market in 2015, followed by a gradual rollout across India, including Bengaluru in the same year, and Delhi in 2017. In 2013, its flagship expressions — Brilliance, Edited and Bold — were introduced internationally. Today, Paul John single malt is considered one of the preferred brands not just in India, but enjoyed by whisky connoisseurs across the world. Since its international debut, Paul John Indian Single Malt has won more than 370 international awards, cementing its position as one of the world’s most acclaimed whisky brands and Asia’s most decorated single malt.

But how exactly did a Karnataka-based businessman with Kerala roots redefine Indian whisky? There was never a stone unturned, John says. Even today, extensive R&D is underway, along with plenty of tastings of similar products from other distilleries. There’s his personal touch, too. “I like it a bit stronger, and I don’t like chill filtration, etc...”

Needless to say, John’s leap of faith gave him a seven-year lead in India’s whisky market, where single malt consumption is gradually expanding. With the aspiration for single malts on the rise in India, John says the demand for his products is going up, but the ability to meet it can be challenging. “In terms of consumption, we are still struggling with our capacity. When the demand starts increasing, I cannot just keep on producing as the production capacity is something I kept six years back,” he says. “Even today we are short on supply of many of our brands. We have increased our production gradually from 2,000 litres to 6,000 litres to 12,000 litres per day in the last five years, and whatever expansions we had factored in will start trickling into the market by next year.” According to his estimates, it will take another four to five years for the production to catch up with the demand.

Yet, John believes the country’s appreciation of the category is still in its infancy. While awareness of premium whisky has grown significantly, he feels that understanding how to truly enjoy a single malt will take another two to three decades to become mainstream. For generations, Indian whisky drinkers have been accustomed to consuming blended whiskies with water or soda, and those habits often carry over to single malts. Changing that mindset, John says, is perhaps the industry’s biggest challenge. “I think I’ve only managed to scratch the surface of the opportunity for single malts in India. Even though India is the largest consumer of whisky in the world, 99% of people still look for ‘kick per buck’ — how much ‘kick’ they get for every rupee spent. The real ‘kick per buck’ comes from cheaper alcohols that give them exactly what they expect,” he says.

As for the success, John says, “unlike most other single malts, ours is not mass produced. It’s very niche, and most of our products are at 46% while others are at 40-42% and chill-filtered. So there is a big difference in quality and people are picking on it.”

For John, the task today extends far beyond building the Paul John brand. Despite single malts largely being the preserve of India’s affluent and well-travelled consumers, Paul John believes the country’s appreciation of the category is still in its infancy.

“The real challenge for me is to teach people how to drink single malts rather than market Paul John as a single malt. It’s about encouraging them to slow down, savour small sips, and appreciate the flavours and complexity. At present, perhaps only two out of 10 people are willing to accept that a single malt doesn’t need water. Drinking whisky with water has been ingrained in our culture, and that’s the challenge every single malt producer faces.”

John says that with India being one of the largest consumers of whisky in the world, a fraction of that shifting to single malt itself will prove to be a good share for single malt producers. He says some of the other bigger players with the ability to infuse huge capital and marketing budgets are also in the fray to produce local single malts. John believes that while that will be competition for his brands, it will also give him a few years’ lead, as the maturation and rest of the procedures involved before they are bottled and brought to the doorsteps of consumers will take time. “At the same time, when they also start educating the consumers about single malts and the way it is consumed, etc., along with their ways of marketing, the same will bring in more awareness in the market, and everyone alike is going to benefit out of that,” he says.

John Distilleries sits at the tip of the whisky market in India. Beneath the amber hue of the liquid lies a story of fertile fields, patient maturation, and uncompromising craftsmanship. It is this quiet alchemy — perfected by the likes of Paul John — that has transformed Indian whisky from an overlooked spirit into one worthy of the world’s finest shelves.